Saturday, August 25, 2012

Unique Teacher Gifts

I made a few home visits to incoming 6th graders this week. It takes some time, but I always find it more than worth it to connect with kids on their own "turf," so-to-speak; I get to give them my undivided attention and demonstrate that I truly care about them as individuals. This year, there were also a few other, added benefits to my home visits.

At one house, near the end of our visit, an eleven-year-old cherub reached into his shorts pocket and surprised both his mom and me by announcing, "And I.....have a gift I want you to have!" She and I exchanged nervous glances; Lord only knew what could come out of the pocket of an eleven-year-old boy, right?  Low and behold, out came two rolled up dollar bills (which had clearly been through the clothes dryer in his shorts). As he held them out to me, I exclaimed cautiously, "Wow, Mom--What do you think of that?!"

I wasn't really sure what to do--This lad was demonstrating a social skill deficit, sort of; I mean, who doesn't love gifts, let alone gifts of cash? Should I say Thank you and demonstrate proper social skills when someone offers a gift, or should I risk offending him by politely declining his offer and teaching him about the appropriateness of bribing your teachers? (JK, of course.)  I deferred to his mother, who skillfully adlibbed, "What a nice thought! I think Mrs.4444 should take that money to gas station to buy a drink on her way home, since her water bottle is empty and she has such a bad cold."  I decided to follow suit by offering a return gift--my pen. So cute.

Receiving a gift at a home visit was a first for me, but there must be something in the air, because at the next house, I also received a gift. First, the lad (I'll call him Shawn.) proudly shared his report card from last spring. Then he introduced me to his pride and joy, a pet cat. After that, he shared photos of his beloved yellow lab, who passed away two years ago. Later, he walked me out to what can only be described as part of an old cemetery, in his back yard. He showed me where he and his brother buried his dog, beneath a statue of the Virgin Mary. (I know, right? Clearly, this boy is a sensitive lad, and I consider it a gift; to have been taken on this personal tour.)

But that's not the only gift I received from Shawn. Can you guess what it is? (and no, it's not the highlighter)


School starts for me on the 28th, but I'll have a few days to ease into the school year, with students not arriving until the 4th.

And so begins the shift-change in the blogging world, when parents of kids heading back to school can finally relax and enjoying poking around blogs and writing consistently again, and I head back to the classroom, where I find plenty of blog fodder but less time to keep up with blog reading.

Let's not rush into these things, though; I still have time to decide what to do with my emu egg

....and my two bucks!

14 comments:

  1. Ostrich or Emu egg that's been painted?

    A student gave me an ostrich egg painted yellow with my name on it once.

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  2. An emu egg? Would you eat it? Hollow it out and paint it Pinterest style craft? I actually thought it was some type of melon.

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    1. Yes! It's an emu egg, and it's in the fridge; I haven't decided if I should eat it, blow it out and eat it, paint it....hm

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  3. When I saw the title of this post I thought it was going to be a post about all your unique teacher gifts as in talents! That is interesting that you are able to do home visits. And an EMU egg how cool can you cook the egg? I think I saw on tv once a person cooking the egg for her family.

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    1. I'm told (by google) that you cook them like other eggs, but you have to cook them longer and be ready to feed a crowd! :)

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    2. Yes the tv show was 19 kids and counting! Are you going to cook the egg? let us know!

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  4. I think it's great that you do home visits. The preschools where I used to live did home visits, but this is a first for older kids. What a wonderful gift for the children to have a one-on-one with their new teacher before the first day of school. Kudos to you, and wishing you a great new school year!

    p.s. - I thought the egg was a nerf football...duh! It's beautiful!

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    1. Thank you. The students and parents always appreciate the home visits, although they're a little suspicious at first.It always makes a positive impression in the end and is more than worth it in terms of relationship-building.

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  5. I've never seen an Emu egg before. That certainly is an unique gift.
    And you, my friend, are a blessing to those children.

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  6. Do you know any Emus that would sit for you?
    Will it keep ok? I'm guessing it's heavy. I don't have a clue to share. I guess it beats a boring apple.

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  7. A gift of their trust and respect is priceless. Good luck in the upcoming year. Remember to have fun.

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  8. You do home visits? Really? I have about 180 kids, so I would have to start in June to finish before the beginning of the year. Can you make an omelette with that emu egg? GOing back to the classroom myself right after Labor day, lucky me...lol

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  9. Very sweet kids. What a blessed teacher.

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